Chapter 62
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: Kate's Apology
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#62.
- This match is between Kate Tantinus and Charlotte Setia.
Only after the announcer made the declaration did Charlotte finally stand from her seat and head toward the arena.
Even from the entrance, she could see Kate.
The girl with her blue hair swept to one side was smirking sullenly as she entered the arena toward her.
Charlotte had already seen Kate's name on the bracket before stepping into the arena, but actually coming face-to-face with her like this was honestly a bit surprising.
Kate, who had nearly gotten seriously hurt in the qualifiers because she couldn't properly catch a single slime, had apparently done better than expected.
"You've climbed pretty far, huh?"
What would have happened if Charlotte had said that in front of Lancelot's group normally?
Lancelot would have found it the most ridiculous, and the kids, including Kate, would have clutched their stomachs and laughed along in agreement.
But the current Kate didn't get upset or mock her upon hearing Charlotte's words. Instead, she blushed as if embarrassed and nodded.
"...Th-thanks. I tried hard because I wanted to talk to you."
Charlotte raised an eyebrow.
"Just saying that to be nice?"
Kate hurriedly shook her head.
"Wh-what are you talking about? No, really. Really... You said it yourself. That it would be okay to apologize if we met in the main tournament... I'm s-sorry. Really sorry. For me... and for us... No, it was all my fault. I acted like such an idiot, but you still helped me. Thank you so much."
Only then did Charlotte recall that she had said something like that to Kate.
'...It wasn't said with any grand intention. I just said it because I didn't want to hear her apologize so easily.'
But somehow, she couldn't respond with the usual "I'll think about it" like she would with others' apologies.
Kate was shedding thick teardrops as she spoke, so earnest it was hard to doubt her sincerity.
Charlotte realized she was weak to things like this.
Maybe because she was a martial artist, or because she grew up in a culture full of young masters and lords, but she was soft toward women, children, and the elderly.
She lightly ruffled her hair and sighed.
'...Well, how could I not accept this?'
"Got it."
"R-really?"
Kate, who had been crying so hard she was about to make a puddle of mud at her feet, suddenly looked up in surprise.
Her face was a mess.
'...Making a ten-year-old girl cry. I'm pretty awful too.'
Of course, Kate had been even worse to a nine-year-old girl, but she couldn't help the thought creeping in first, given her upbringing.
"Got it, so stop crying. I don't have a handkerchief or anything."
"Really? Sniff, thank you... I really want to be friends... And I have a handkerchief."
Charlotte watched Kate, who was hiccupping and swallowing her sobs, pull a handkerchief from her pocket and wipe her tears. She couldn't help but chuckle softly at how cute it somehow was.
With so many spectators watching the two of them, she didn't care and said everything she wanted, cried all she wanted, and calmly wiped her tears afterward. It was so nobly carefree it was funny and amusing. And the innocence of revealing her true feelings like that, pulling out the word "friends" first, was entertaining too.
'...Friends.'
Charlotte murmured the word, still awkward on her tongue.
If she had to categorize, was Joseph the only one in her "friends" category right now?
Somehow, most of the people close to her were men, so having a female friend her age didn't sound bad.
"Sure."
"...Huh?"
"Being friends sounds good."
"...H-huh? Really? For real?"
"Yeah. For real. So, could you do something about that poor referee who looks so awkward?"
Only then did Kate turn to look at the referee upon Charlotte's words. The pitiful referee, unable to urge the Empress's niece, stood there fidgeting with the whistle signaling the start of the match in hand, just staring at them.
Kate finally pocketed her handkerchief and gripped her thin, long spear, which seemed to be her main weapon.
Screeech-
Only then did the referee finally give the starting signal.
For how long the start had been delayed, the match ended in an instant.
Just three exchanges.
And two of those were barely even proper clashes—Kate flailing her spear desperately just to barely deflect Charlotte's sword blade.
"...You're really strong."
Kate, who had declared surrender after falling on her butt, looked up at Charlotte with shining eyes, as if dazzled.
"You're weak."
Charlotte chuckled and extended a hand to help Kate up.
"...I'll get stronger. You have to be friends with me for real, okay?"
"...Well, I don't mind that. If you want, I can be your sparring partner."
"Really? Really?"
Kate, who hadn't even planned to win from the start, beamed with the happiest smile as the announcer declared her defeat.
As the tournament continued, the finalists began to take shape.
Unexpected figures kept seizing the advantage. Charlotte Setia and Third Prince Joseph—people who no one had even predicted would reach the finals—advanced smoothly.
And for those two to reach the finals naturally meant that the ones expected to make it had been eliminated.
Russell, who everyone thought would at least reach the semis—no, the finals—had a fierce exchange of over a hundred clashes with Prince Joseph before cleanly declaring defeat.
It was a match of such high caliber that it was safe to say none of the commoners in the stands had watched the entire bout properly.
Russell used a slow, heavy sword and a one-handed shield style, and even though Joseph wielded a two-handed sword that wasn't easy to speed up, both moved at speeds ordinary people couldn't follow as they clashed blades.
At first, Russell swung his sword half-heartedly, as if displeased with Joseph. But once his expression grew serious, it intensified even more.
Joseph's talent was exceptional, but Russell had far more real combat experience. Plus, the fifteen-year-old Russell had a significant size advantage over the twelve-year-old Joseph, so the match only concluded when Joseph aggressively split Russell's shield clean in two at the end.
A calm young tiger of the imperial family, hiding tremendous skill and knowing when to seize victory.
It went without saying that the crowd's favor toward Joseph soared after that match.
And finally, it was the finals.
The finals required considerable preparation in the arena, so the participants were given time to rest in their waiting rooms.
Charlotte entered her waiting room and sat down, letting the roaring cheers from the stands flow in one ear and out the other.
She actually needed the rest.
Sitting on the tall chair in the waiting room, she took a few bites of fruit from the crystal plate and sipped the non-alcoholic drink from the tall glass before sighing naturally.
'Mentally exhausting.'
The other participants were probably physically worn out too.
Running from qualifiers to finals all in one day was no easy schedule.
'It would be nice if Joseph was in the same waiting room. I could pet his head.'
Charlotte stared into her empty hand, feeling oddly lonely, then unwittingly smiled as moments of locking eyes with Joseph flashed through her mind.
Joseph was getting cuter and cuter, really.
His expressions hadn't diversified much, nor had he become much more talkative...
Maybe it was just from spending more time together, or because it felt like he was doing it all for her.
'Come to think of it, what was that "watch me" about?'
She suddenly recalled the day the downpour had raged, when Joseph had declared, with her by his side, that he'd show something amazing.
'He said he'd let me know he'd always be by my side? ...So cute.'
How exactly was he going to show that?
Charlotte stretched her aching body long while thinking Joseph's aspiration was cute.
Since it was a tournament format, everyone had probably fought about five matches by now.
Recalling the applause and cheers that had grown louder with each victory announcement, Charlotte smiled bitterly.
She didn't want to live as an ignored invisible person forever, but this level of attention wasn't what she desired either.
Crowds really could flip their opinions on a person like turning over a hand.